2. SIA TRAINING 2
Introduction
Today the growing culture of incivility is present throughout the country and is highly
emphasized in the media. This lack of civility has prompted us to focus on the importance of
promoting respect and courteousness beyond good manners and instead address social injustices.
The rise of incivility has resulted in the outpour of ignorant comments and violence towards one
group of people to another, which demonstrates an indefinite dissension in respect. This entails
the lack of consideration towards beliefs, rights, and opinions as explained by attorney Kent
Weeks, in rising matters of incivility on college campuses (2011). The rise of this culture has led
to a list of college campuses that wish to include a Multicultural and Diversity organization, to
educate, support, and enhance the harmonious community needed on campus. The United States
of America represents a diverse population in regards to race, ethnicity, religion, sexual
orientation, and many other aspects of identity. Individuals, despite their differences, should be
able to learn how to work together regardless of personal disparities. Therefore, in the effort to
provide the necessary tools to educate on selfawareness, cultural differences, and most
importantly reverence for the human race, we decided to create a civility program.
The proposal is focused on providing the necessary awareness on acts of social injustice in
conjunction with education on how to manage diversity for all students at Montclair State
University (MSU). MSU is highly recognized for hosting diverse groups and organizations,
which promotes unity and harmony amongst their peers. However, the large number of groups
and organizations represented on campus does not necessarily equate to unification. The fact
remains that different groups and organizations on campus serves the student body in their own
way respectively. Some may be more segregated than intended especially, when considering the
level at which students may or may not be comfortable diverging from their dominant identities
such as race. The implementation of the Social Injustice Awareness Training (SIA) Program
would help to infuse the importance of integrating the many organizations and to provide
education on the different cultural backgrounds respectively. Students may experience their own
unique form of discrimination by not believing they are welcomed to an organization they may
not relate to directly. Fortunately, MSU has started to head in a progressive direction by allowing
students to be free to create an organization or group that is most relatable to their members. The
downfall to this is that even though the multiple organizations represent their own mission, it
may cause a rift or misunderstanding towards other students. The Social Injustice Awareness
Training executes the purpose to meticulously educate all students about the unique differences
of the student body. The more educated the student population at MSU become in regards to
social injustices, the more civil they may become towards others and gain a better understanding
of their peers. Unfortunately, there are students who are fearful of saying an erroneous statement
to another person and focus too closely on political correctness. In addition, students may not
feel as welcomed by other students due to the influence of what social media may convey about
a particular ongoing movement. Our goal is to provide information on what diversity and social
justice are: provide different approaches to be more compassionate. We understand the struggles
and privileges of other identities while identifying one’s own oppressions as well as privileges.
3. SIA TRAINING 3
Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
In order to determine how students can be more educated and civil on campus, the Social
Injustice Awareness Training Program (SIA) specific key performance indicators are examined.
These were determined based on the number of minority students at MSU, the low number of
reported acts of bias, and the increase in diversity issues on college campuses. The most
important KPIs are listed in the following chart:
KPI Defined as... Current Measure
Social Injustice Awareness % of students who indicated
they were aware of Social
Injustice (SI) determined
through exit survey after
training.
No current measure
Discrimination experiences
on campus
Percentage of students who
experience discrimination on
campus.
No current measure
Discrimination reported by
students on campus
Number of students who
formally reported they were
discriminated against on
campus.
4
Two of the KPIs have no current measure and can only be determined by surveying. We intend
to implement surveys to collect data after the training sessions. The most recent recorded acts of
bias reported at MSU according to the Jeanne Clery Act Crime Statistics are from 2014. We
presume that the number of students who have experienced a form of discrimination on campus
far larger than the number of students who followed through and reported the bias incident.
External Assessment
The Social Injustice Awareness Training Program (SIA) would be extremely beneficial for MSU
students because the lack of civility is exercised both purposefully and inadvertently. SIA would
provide the necessary tools for all students to become immediately aware of the differences of
other students. SIA would aid in diminishing the stereotypes of others and the best approaches
for different groups to display respect and eliminate any false ideologies they may utilize. The
uniqueness of this program is to intentionally assist students to be more alert on how to treat
others who are different then they are. The actions of racism, bullying, and lack of equity (fair
treatment) are also reasons why civility is not exercised on a regular basis.
SIA would help balance the political views provided by politicians and the distorted opinions
produced by the multiple media outlets. Due to political candidates promoting discrimination
4. SIA TRAINING 4
against marginalized groups, we believe that there is a strong influence on student’s awareness of
social injustices.
Social media also plays a key role in this topic. Whether the posts are positive or negative in
nature; utilizing Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YikYak, etc. to post about personal views on an
aspect of identity affects all three of our KPIs. Broken down further to assess posts that support
diversity and posts that are oppressive, we assess the impact that social media can have on a
college campus in regards to diversity and multiculturalism. Posts that are affirming increases the
awareness and aid in decreasing the number of discriminatory experiences. On the opposite side,
oppressive posts still increase awareness of social injustices, particularly in the relation to
marginalized groups. These negative posts may also increase the number of experiences where
students feel discriminated against and may also negatively impact the number of formally
reported acts of bias.
Budget may not be in our favor due in part to how much funding the institution gets in any
particular year. If local communities are not willing to collaborate or if the university is short
funding the chances of obtaining the necessary resources for the program, the quality and
availability of the program may fall short. Budget also directly influences whether or not we can
hire student workers. The student workers would need to be trained themselves before the
program launches and without the necessary resources, that training may not happen.
Collaborators
A matter of timing and networking will be key in ensuring the success of the Social Injustice
Awareness Training. As a way to collaborate with the outside community is to promote and
ensure civility off campus,this will lead the Social Injustice Awareness Training to initiate
relationships and networking. The networking can lead to the buy in of local universities, a local
high school, and local communities. Other institutions may not offer such a program which
specifically deals with civility and if this is the case, striving to get our program up and running
and offered to local institutions will work in our favor. Opportunities may open at a local high
school where a pilot program may be implemented. Local community organizations can help in
maintaining and promoting the same mission and values as the program outside of campus, while
reaching students who live off campus or commute.
Competitors
Perhaps the largest competitor in developing SIA is the availability of a similar program
elsewhere. A similar program can be at another local university. Having another program with a
mission and goal similar to ours could prevent opportunities for growth and development of our
own program. There may not be a need for our program if it is already available in a number of
different places. For example, Rowan University utilizes Social Justice Ambassadors.
5. SIA TRAINING 5
Internal Assessment
Montclair State University fortunately consists of other organizations, which shares the same end
goal as the Social Injustice Awareness Training Program (SIA). MSU consists of a melting pot
of organizations which shares the same missional goal: unity and harmony. However, the
difference between SIA and other organizations, is that SIA would concentrate mostly on how to
execute harmony and provide a better understanding of all identities and their intersections. The
fact remains, social injustice is experienced on different levels and the other organizations on
campus may feed into the unfortunate stereotypical ideologies inadvertently by creating silos in
times where they are not needed.
SIA would be responsible to educate the entire university on the many causes and effects of
discrimination the student body faces on a daily basis. SIA will promote apart of the University’s
mission, which is to develop in students’ ability to discover, create, evaluate, apply and share
knowledge in a climate characterized by tolerance and openness in the exploration of ideas. The
promotion of these aspects will affect the conversations currently happening on campus in
relation to diversity. Additionally, we hope to increase the conversations and positively impact
the nature of these conversations.
Budget could greatly impact our training in regards to the resources we would have available to
us. If possible, partnership with Equal Opportunity Fund (EOF), University Police Department
(UPD), the Center for Equity and Diversity, The Montclarion, Sexual Assault Response Team
(SART), and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) would increase the budget afforded
to us. Consequently, a lack of support from the aforementioned departments, would diminish the
amount of funds we would have access to.
In regards to staffing, support from EOF, UPD, the Center for Equity and Diversity, The
Montclairion, SART, and CAPS would also provide ample staffing to help manage, promote,
and support the training. Additionally, we would want to involve student volunteers to serve as
Social Justice Ambassadors in an attempt to educate them to be facilitators and marketers for the
training and initiatives that are put in place.
SWOT Analysis
A CrossImpact Analysis was conducted to determine the impact of the external and internal
factors on the Key Performance Indicators. The Opportunities and Threats came from the
external assessment and the Strengths and Weaknesses came from the internal assessment. These
results had strong positive and negative influences on the KPIs. Our results indicate that there are
more external factors than internal. The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats are
listed below:
6. SIA TRAINING 6
External
Opportunities
● Local Community Networking with the local community as well as other organizations
around the state such as The Montclair Branch of the NAACP, SAVE of Essex County,
NJ Coalition Against Sexual Assault, American Civil Liberty Union, and the NJ Division
of Civil Rights.
● Montclair High School Collaborating with the local high school would be a platform for
a pilot program of the Social Injustice Awareness Training. Montclair High School is
diverse in terms of its enrollment of the multiple races and ethnicities of its students.
Reaching out to the diverse youth in the community would give the training a chance for
a trial run of the program that, if successful, could be a reoccurring training. It may also
increase the number of culturally competent students enrolling at Montclair State
University.
● Social Media Promoting SIA on social media gives us an opportunity to diminish the
anonymity of cyberbullying or cyber ignorance. The promotion of social media
challenges with positive messages can allow quick and widespread support for
marginalized groups.
Threats
● Other Universities With Program Other universities that offer the same or a similar
program may have been implemented before ours. If that is the case, the need for our
training may be diminished.
● Social Media Negative postings, postings that are politically incorrect, and threatening
messages posted by either friends or unknown people could negatively influence the
work that the training is attempting to prevent. As a result of these postings, students may
experience feeling targeted, fearful, and may be less likely to advocate for social justice.
● Political Debate Topics of conversation sparked by political debates have a bigger
negative influence on our program than a positive one. Currently, the candidates running
for office are having controversial debates related to sensitive topics such as race and
targeting particular groups of individuals and some may be portraying them in a negative
way. The support of these political candidates brings about an increase in negative talk
about certain aspects of identity.
Internal Forces
Strength
● Budget Having a large budget allows for the training to have the necessary resources in
order to plan, develop and implement the training both within the institution and
7. SIA TRAINING 7
extension to local communities and high schools. Providing activities, buttons, programs,
and other takeaways would be possible with a large budget.
● Staffing Hiring student workers allows there to be ambassadors for the training
advocating on campus about the program, as well as, workers to present the training and
give information sessions throughout campus classrooms and campus organizations.
● Conversations On Diversity Present conversations on diversity already on our college
campus means that there is some type of awareness and knowledge of diversity. Diversity
conversations can open the door for faculty and students who are open minded to engage
themselves in the training as a way of being more aware and educated about civility on
campus.
Weakness
● Budget A small budget will place limitations on what SIA will be able to offer in terms
of program availability, marketing for training, hiring guest speakers, and takeaways such
as buttons, stickers, and certificates indicating completion of SIA training.
Ideas
The following ideas were developed after review of the SWOT Analysis:
1. The opportunity provided for students, faculty and administrators would lead other
similar organization to want to follow suit.
2. The ability to work with the Equity and Diversity office of the institution will enable the
Social Injustice program to build a prominent network.
3. Networking and building with other organizations will allow the members of this
program to provide a 10 minute information session to promote the mission of the
program. Also, we would be able to create a mailing distribution list to recruit, advertise
and promote the program.
4. Eventually would like to host an in depth conference, which would include Professional
speakers (Educators from the institution speaking on a panel)
5. We are able to promote Civility Week to cease the preconceived ideas of the many
cultures of the world. Civility Week would include a daily dose of facts in regards to self
identities, cultural awareness, etc. Also, to diminish the anonymity of cyberbullying or
cyber ignorance, the promotion of social media challenges with positive messages (i.e.
share a photo you feel good in to promote body positivity or post a positive quote for
Motivation Monday).
6. Faculty and Staff with different educational background (marketing, etc), would provide
an opportunity to build a stronger network.
7. The benefits of community based programs can assist in spreading the word, especially
for commuter students.
8. In order for the program to be extremely effective, we will need to cosponsor with other
departments and or organizations. We may be able to raise money, ask for donations, or
8. SIA TRAINING 8
personally reach out Residence Life, Admissions, Recreation Center, and or Student
Leadership for financial assistance.
Goals, Strategies, and Objectives
1. Social Injustice Awareness: Percentage of students who are aware of social injustice
determined through exit survey after training, current measure: no current measure
Objective: Determine the baseline for students who are aware of social injustices.
Oneyear goal: Increase percentage of students who are aware of SI by 5%
Fiveyear goal: Increase percentage of students who are aware of SI by 10%
Tenyear goal: Increase percentage of students who are aware of SI by 15%
Strategies: Utilize workshops and Social Justice Ambassadors to spread awareness and
education on acts of social injustice at Montclair State University; increase visibility of students
and professionals who are trained on social justice by providing buttons and certificates to those
who complete the training; stickers for office spaces of faculty and staff
2. Discrimination Experiences on Campus: Percentage of students who experience
discrimination on campus, current measure: no current measure
Objective: Determine a baseline for number of students who disclose they have felt
discriminated against while on campus.
Oneyear goal: Decrease percentage by 5%
Fiveyear goal: Decrease percentage by 10%
Tenyear goal: Decrease percentage by 15%
Strategies: Provide adequate and impactful training sessions to allow for better understanding of
social justice issues and how to navigate those conversations; provide necessary learning tools
and skills to promote inclusiveness; clearly mark safe spaces on campus where individuals who
went through training can be found; the office of Equity and Diversity currently does not include
a racial and ethnic based center on campus. SIA training program would be a great addition to
help increase the awareness needed.
9. SIA TRAINING 9
3. Discrimination reported by students on campus: Number of students who formally reported
they were discriminated against on campus, current measure: 4
Oneyear goal: Increase this number by 8 students
Fiveyear goal: Increase this number by 16 students
Tenyear goal: Increase this number by 30 students
Strategies: Create visibility for those who have participated in SIA Training to show they are
allies; create safe ways of reporting bias incidents; provide education and information on how to
report bias incidents with the assistance of the UPD.
Evaluation Readiness
After discussing strategies, goals, and objectives, we looked at the opportunities already in place
at MSU that offer training regarding social justice issues. MSU’s Office of Equity and Diversity
houses three separate entities that provide services to underrepresented groups on campus the
Center for Faith and Spirituality, the Women’s Center, and the LGBTQ Center. Currently, the
LGBTQ center offers workshops that focus solely on LGBTQ inclusion.
With established centers to promote inclusive behavior, a formal training on all aspects of social
justice will complement the existing workshops, programs, and organizations such as the Bias
Response Taskforce. Social Injustice Awareness Training can fill in any gaps in educational
opportunities by acting as a proactive approach to campus diversity issues instead of a reactive
one. The taskforce is comprised of individuals from several offices and departments on campus.
Support from the taskforce would allow for increased visibility and a large pool of students to
advertise to. Creating this visibility would create a demand for the program.
As of January 2016, the Office of Equity and Diversity appointed Director Dr. Sidney Garner.
The first in this role and only the second fulltime professional in the office, Dr. Garner hopes to
bring a multicultural council to campus to address race and ethnicity. By implementing this
council, Social Injustice Awareness Training will become a necessity in order to address and
understand the multiple identities students have. By bringing this council to campus, Dr. Garner
completes the center by creating spaces for all aspects of identity. Therefore, support for the
Social Injustice Awareness Training will stem from all aspects of the Office of Equity and
Diversity. Additionally, increasing conversations about race and ethnicity on campus will
diminish the assumption, people are not being listened to and allow the comfortability in
reporting bias incidents.
Resistance may occur in the form of administrators who do not view diversity as an issue on
campus. With the recent news of MSU becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution and the increase
in diverse populations on campus, it can be assumed that civility would not be an issue on
campus. However, it can be argued that the low number of formally reported acts of bias, the
lack of a racial and ethnicity based center, and no current trainings outside of LGBTQ issues
being offered are signs of inability to recognize the campus is at risk.
10. SIA TRAINING 10
Program Implementation
This program would be best implemented in the beginning of the academic calendar year, Fall
2017, to allow sufficient time for proper support to be put in place, along with resources and
contact with appropriate individuals. Dr. Garner, has stated this particular style of training
program would be a great addition under the Center of Equity and Diversity umbrella.
What is the Task When Who is Involved Reason
Figuring out the target
community
July 2016 Director of Equity &
Diversity and Planning
Committee
To establish who would
be the best group to
present for MSU students
Figuring out who will
facilitate the training
July 2016 Director of Equity &
Diversity and Planning
Committee
To establish the right
group of students with the
knowledge to assist in
creating the training
Equity and Diversity
Center
August 2016 Director of Equity &
Diversity, Planning
Committee
Gather key figures to
discuss program approval
and to believe in the
mission
Program Outreach August 2016 Director of Equity &
Diversity, Planning
Committee, Multicultural
Council members
Establish an effective
approach to reach out to
campus leaders (from
different organizations)
The Student Council for
Equity & Diversity
(effective April 2016)
September 2016 Director of Equity &
Diversity, Planning
Committee, Multicultural
Council members
Determine estimated cost,
allocation of funds (office
supplies, passport signia)
Development of SIA
Program
September 2016 Director of Equity &
Diversity, Planning
Committee, Multicultural
Council members
Creating the right amount
of committee members;
Establish the entire
training procedure
Meet with student
leaders of MSU
November 2016 Director of Equity &
Diversity, Planning
Committee, Multicultural
Council members
Establish their knowledge
and how to reach out to
the community of MSU
Development of
Assessment Tools for
SIA Training
November 2016 Director of Equity &
Diversity, Planning
Committee, Multicultural
Council members
Training purpose, to
know what to focus on
based on experience, etc.
Pre Training for Student
Leaders of MSU (4
hours)
February 2017 Director of Equity &
Diversity, Planning
Committee, Multicultural
Leaders will get a head
start before program
officially launches .
11. SIA TRAINING 11
Council members
What is the task When Who is Involved Reason
Assessment of training
(student leaders)
June 2017 Director of Equity &
Diversity, Planning
Committee, Multicultural
Council members
Evaluate What needs to
be changed or remain
(feedback)
Announcement and
training offerings to
Faculty and Staff
June 2017 Director of Equity &
Diversity, Planning
Committee, Multicultural
Council members
Awareness of program to
be launched.
Program Launch (open to
students, faculty and or
staff)
September 2017 Director of Equity &
Diversity, Planning
Committee, Multicultural
Council members
Students to receive
training voluntarily
Assessment of training November 2017 Director of Equity &
Diversity, Planning
Committee, Multicultural
Council members
Experience; takeaways
Feedback on the training
program
November 2017 Director of Equity &
Diversity, Planning
Committee, Multicultural
Council members
Participants are able to
utilize online service for
any questions and or
concerns after training
Debriefing (on what
worked and what didn’t)
December 2017 Director of Equity &
Diversity, Planning
Committee, Multicultural
Council members
To remain engaged;
constantly being educated
and remain consistent
with the goal of the
program.
Evaluation Plan
An evaluation of the Social Justice Awareness Training will need to be conducted in order to
know whether or not the program fulfills its objectives. There is a lack of regard towards people
on campus in more ways than one. Injustices are occurring all over campus as a result of students
viewing other students as less than, vulnerable, and different. The purpose of the SIA Training is
to create an awareness about these discriminatory acts and to help encourage any member of the
campus community to pledge in not only acting more compassionate towards others who may
look, think, and feel differently than they do but also becoming advocates when seeing social
injustices occurring by doing things like reporting incidents they may be a witness to. The
training is an opportunity for those on the college campus to reflect on their own experiences
while also growing both personally and professionally. By educating any participants who attend
the training, a foundation will be set that can create change both on and off of our campus.
12. SIA TRAINING 12
There is an opportunity to educate the entire college community and the surrounding areas about
the current social injustices happening on the college campus. The training can make an impact
on students, faculty, and staff who can take the information that is presented in the training and
can encourage others to attend, as well as, use their training in a practical manner in their daily
life.
Evaluating the program will be no additional charge out of the budget and will be evaluated by
the team of Director of Equity & Diversity, Planning Committee, Multicultural Council members
who understand the needs of the different groups of students on the campus and the mission of
the Social Injustice Training.
Process Evaluation
Social Justice Awareness training will include multiple methods in order to accomplish what the
training is set out to do. Through a structured program, the percentage of students who indicated
they were aware of Social Injustice, the percentage of students who experience discrimination on
campus and the number of students who formally reported they were discriminated against on
campus will all be different than our current measures. Content, logistics, and the process of the
program is listed below.
Social Injustice Awareness Training (SIA):
● Surveys will be implemented to have a better understanding what the participants took
away from the training.
● SIA will include presentations, both large and small group activities, and discussions that
will allow participants to reflect on their experiences and challenges faced regarding
injustices, discrimination, and civility. The training will allow for nonjudgemental
discussions and facilitate questions and answers throughout the training.
● Training will be 4 hours long.
● Training will take place in a conference center located in the middle of the campus with
space for up to 40 attendees.
● Students, faculty, staff, member of the community are welcome to attend.
● Upon leaving the training session, all who attended will be handed a pin/button to show
others that they have attended the training and possess the education necessary in
advocating for social injustice.
Outcome Evaluation
Social Injustice Awareness training will include multiple methods in order to accomplish what
the training is set out to do. Education about SIA will be one way to understand whether or not
our program was successful. Education includes awareness of one’s own privilege and
understanding how to respect others who are different than themselves. Knowing how to combat
social injustice is also included. Having a lower percentage of students who experience
discrimination on campus after SIA has been implemented will indicate success. Through SIA, a
common understanding of social injustice and an overall sense of safety and togetherness on
campus will indicate progression towards social justice. Reporting a higher number of students
who formally reported they were discriminated against on campus is the third way our program
13. SIA TRAINING 13
will be evaluated in regards to being successful. After completion of SIA, participants will walk
away with knowledge and confidence in identifying acts of social injustice which will lead to
more reports of acts of discrimination. Participants will be equipped with the knowledge of how
to identify resources and the courses of action to take when social injustice is occurring.
The outcome evaluation will be based on the attendees who will will fill out an exit survey
indicating a few things. The survey will ask the participant if they can define social justice after
having attended the training and if their beliefs and attitudes have changed about the subject.
Having participants indicate that they’re perceptions have changed or that they learned
something new that they didn’t before about civility, discrimination, or anything discussed in the
session will indicate the program being successful. Any additional feedback that would be
helpful in improving the program in the future will also be asked.
The evaluation will also ask about the demographics of the attendees. Evaluation of the number
of attendees will be based on the number of students who swipe in using hawksync or by a sign
in sheet for those who are not a student or faculty member of the university.
Types of Data
The collection of data is important to evaluate the program and to assess our findings as well as
comparison. Therefore, we are providing quantitative and qualitative types of data. In measuring
quantitative, the following information will be accounted for: attendance/participation of
students, the number of students that reported a hate crime, the number of students that
acknowledged the market strategies/objectives presented to advertise the availability of these
resources.
The qualitative data will consist of open ended responses revealed by students in surveys
before/after each training session attended via Hawk Sync. The availability of Hawk Sync will
allow this data to be stored in a storage that can provide an analysis. The results of these surveys
will be critically assessed in determining the needs of the program to further its growth. In
addition, students who are coming for training or attending an info session will be asked to swipe
their student identification cards. The student identification cards will provide with information
relative to types of training attending and the times that are suitable for each student.
Comparison/Analyzing Data :
It is important to obtain data in order to understand the expected results and actual results of the
SIA program.
● Number of students aware of diverse issues → % of students that are civil and sensitive
to their colleagues. This means that this will help us meet our goal for one year, five
years, and etc as means of comparison and measure of our progress.
● Survey of students increase a percentage of students knowledgeable in diversity issues→
Impact of training session to serve as what to improve of the training.
● Number of issues reported → effectiveness of the training if numbers are higher than
usual. This allows the measure of comfortability available now on campus before and
after training session.
14. SIA TRAINING 14
● Marketing diversity training sessions → Number of students present and utilizing the
services/tools provided by the training to measure the effectiveness of marketing
strategies.
Obtaining Data
The team responsible for data collection will collect information during and after each training
session that will be conducted through Hawk Sync. As this engagement will be a collaborative
one, the following office would have engaged in data sharing : EOF, CAPS, Office of Equity &
Diversity and etc. They serve as marketing tools, budget tools, and aid in targeting their student
populations by providing the detailed surveys and feedback from students from training. Using
HawkSync by asking participants to sign up via HawkSync in advance, and swiping their ID
cards upon arrival to check in can be utilized to form spreadsheets and graphs with vital student
information.
